Who were the Indios Bravos? Brilliant nineteenth-century polymath, doctor, bon vivant, and writer Jose Rizal and his friends gave themselves the name, half in jest and half in all seriousness, after having watched a Wild West show in Paris in 1889. Indio, of course, was the disparaging term the Spanish used for the indigenous populations in their colonies. Rizal and these other expatriate ilustrados, "enlightened ones," as they were referred to, admired both the excellent horseman-ship and the dignity of the Native American performers-and recognized in them kindred spirits. They were indeed brave Indians, their peculiar status in the world mirroring somewhat that, of the Filipinos themselves, who were highly critical of the spanish colonial regime in Manila and who in Madrid and Barcelona advocated far-reaching refroms at the same time that they professed loyalty to Mother Spain. By appropriating the term meant to put them in their place, Los Indios Bravos were signaling the Spanish their intent to take charge of their destiny. It was a highly symbolic act, representing a paradigmatic shift in the burgeoning nationalist consciousness.<BR><BR>The Philippines is a nation in its adolescence, struggling by fits and starts to emerge from a rich, complicated, and multilayered past. From ancient Malay barangays, or settlements, through the Spanish colonization beginning in the sixteenth century, the subsequent American occupation in the twentieth century, and the evolution of an independent republic, A History of the Philippines recasts various Philippine narratives---familiar and unfamiliar---with an eye for the layers of pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial histories that have fashioned a diverse and endlessly fascinating population.<BR><BR>A History of the Philippines is intended for those curious about this Southeast Asian archipelago but may know little about its political, social, and cultural influences. The narrative examines pre-Westernized society, the advent of Spanish-style Roman Catholicism, the 1899 Philippine-American War and World War II---conflicts that began and ended U.S. occupation---and the different events that have shaped the devlopment of the nation since its independence in 1946, including two ongoing insurgencies, one Islamic and the other Communist.<BR><BR>In this groundbreaking narrative history of the Philippines, from pre-colonial communities to today's multicultural society, Luis H. Francia creates an illuminating portrait that offers the reader valuable insights into the heart and soul of the modern Filipino, laying bare the multicultural, multiracial society of contemporary times.